WORLD'S LARGEST MOTOR-SHIP

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 71, 25 March 1939, Page 11

WORLD'S LARGEST MOTOR-SHIP

ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION FROM CITIZENS

As invariably happens upon the arrival for the first time of any ship of more than usual interest, the people of Wellington turned out in thousands to welcome the Dominion Monarch. Hundreds of people, most of them in cars, watched the great liner pass Island Bay and Lyall Bay and go through the Heads. There three aeroplanes in formation saluted her from above, and they accompanied her up the harbour, being joined later by a fourth. As the ship drew into the inner harbour the sun shone brightly and on the calm water she presented a splendid sight to the crowds at every point of vantage on the hiUs. A small fleet of mosquito craft— launches, yachts, and* skiffs —was already swarming around the Dominion Monarch when the Government steamer Janie Seddon met her off Point Jerningham, and the port health officer, Customs and tourist officials, police, and shipping company representatives boarded her. As the liner approached her berth many more small craft came out to accompany her, each carrying a full load of interested passengers. Assisted by the Harbour Board's tug Toia, and with the tug Terawhiti standing by, the Dominion Monarch was berthed without difficulty. Even at 8 .o'clock there was a steady stream of people going to and from Pipitea Wharf, and as the day proceeded the stream grew to a. procession of citizens, all wanting to gain a close view of the ship. SIZE DECEPTIVE. So well proportioned is the Dominion Monarch that her great size—she is 682 feet long—is not apparent to the casual observer, but if there were some people who were disappointed with her size there were" few who had anything but admiration for her appearance. With her single mast, her two streamlined funnels, and her imposing superstructure, the Dominion Monarch suggests power, speed, and comfort, and those who travelled on her can testify that these qualities are incorporated in the ship. After the, Empress of Britain, she is the largest merchant vessel that has come to Wellington, and she is the biggest ship trading between New Zealand and other parts of the world. She is one of the largest and fastest cargo^carriers afloat. During the passage the Dominion Monarch set up new ocean records from England to Durban, from Durban to Fremantle, and from England to Australia. She crossed the Tasman Sea from Sydney at greatly-reduced speed. A LONG VOYAGE. The route of the Dominion Monarch covers nearly 14,500 miles, and is considerably longer than that via the Panama Canal, yet the ship has made the journey in under 35 days. No attempt was made to test the full power and speed of the ship, the engines being run throughout the passage at reduced revolutions, but the allotted time-table was maintained with ease. The Dominion Monarch left Southampton on February 18, called at Teneriffe three days later-, arrived at Cape Town on March 3, and at Durban on March 5. The ship was accorded a great welcome in South Africa and amazing scenes were witnessed at Durban, where she was besieged by a vast crowd. Leaving Durban on March 6, the Dominion Monarch crossed the Indian Ocean in faster time than ever had been made by a merchant liner, the 4244 miles to Fremantle being covered" in 8 days 21 hours 54 minutes at an average speed of 19.84 knots. The passage from Southampton to Fremantle was made in 26 days 16 hours 45 minutes, another new record, the actual "sailing" time being 23 days IT hours 22 minutes, at an average speed of 19.42 knots. The Dominion Monarch covered the 1650 miles from Fremantle to Melbourne in 3 days 10 hours 20 minutes at an average speed of 20.04 knots, a heavy swell being experienced for most of the way. The ship arrived ?t Melbourne 29 days 3 hours 59 minutes out from Southampton, her travelling time being 27 days 3 hours 42 minutes, an average of 19£ knots. The 531 miles from Melbourne to Sydney was travelled in 28 hours, the ship reducing speed during the latter half of the journey to arrive at daybreak. INTEREST IN AUSTRALIA. The Dominion Monarch attracted great interest in Australian ports, where she was much admired, and a number of passengers joined her for the trip to New Zealand and back. Exceptionally fine weather was experienced on the passage across the Tasman Sea. Brilliant sunshine and an oily-smooth sea made the run very pleasant, deck sports, swimming, sunbathing, dancing, and cinema shows all adding to the enjoyment of passengers. To arrive on schedule, speed was reduced all the way and for much of Friday the ship' was running on two . engines only.

After a leisurely voyage across the Tasman Sea, the new 27,000----ton Shaw Savill liner Dominion Monarch, the world's largest motorship, passed through Wellington Heads at about 6.30. a.m. today and completed her maiden voyage by berthing at Pipitea Wharf on schedule at 8 a.m. Although the ship was running to a time-table all the way from Southampton arid no attempt was made to force her, she broke three speed records on the voyage. Apart from the size and speed of the ship, the arrival of the Dominion Monarch is of particular importance to New Zealand as she is pioneering the route from England via South Africa and Australia, and back the same way.